Letter: Al-Masari's Islamic beliefs, values and goals

rom Mr Mehdi Hasan

Sir: Polly Toynbee asserts that "we may detest everything that Mr Masari stands for", even though she is no more of a representative for the British public than Mr Masari is for the Muslim community. His views on divorce ("it is a very good thing") are totally un-Islamic, as Prophet Mohamed said on several occasions: "Of all the lawful things, the one that God dislikes the most is divorce".

Mr Masari also claims that a Muslim wife should stay at home with the children, forgetting that Mohamed's wife Khadija owned one of Arabia's most successful businesses. Such misguided, sexist views are probably the reason he is twice divorced.

Yours sincerely,

Mehdi Hasan

Harrow, Middlesex

17 January